Offerings

Once a participant’s monthly rate has been established, it will not be readily visible to staff or other climbers. All Climb4Community members should have the same perks, membership cards or other access keys, medallions in the POS system, etc. There may be no differential treatment of Climb4Community members based on pay point.

Climb4Community memberships will be incentivised through additional perks on top of normal membership perks offered by the adopting gym.

• All additional membership perks must be aimed towards increasing accessibility and decreasing financial barriers. Examples include extra guest passes, deeper discounts in the pro-shop, free rental gear, etc.

Climb4Community members will receive a membership card or similar with the Climb4Community logo, or otherwise have some physical proof of membership. This will grant them access to reciprocity prices at other adopting gyms.

Accounting is the only place in which the gym will differentiate between those paying more than normal and those paying less. The extra funds provided by members paying more will “fill up” the community fund. Members who are paying less will have their membership “subsidized” by the community fund. The management of this accounting process may vary from gym to gym.

Applications must be available on the gym’s website and be minimally invasive. Those wishing to pay extra may be automatically redirected to a payment portal if possible, while those wishing to pay less may be required to submit a formal application for review. Climb4Community will provide the adopting gym with a sample application.

• Below a specified monthly payment threshold, the adopting gym may choose to request a form of alternate buy-in. This buy-in, like the membership price, must be self-directed and enforced only on the honors system. If the applicant is unable to complete the requested alternate buy-in, they must still be considered for approval and only denied in the case of flagrant abuse.

• Climb4Community recommends the use of community engagement hours as an alternative to traditional community service hours. Community engagement is broadly defined as any activity which supports the surrounding community, including everything from traditional volunteering to sending money home to families, caring for siblings etc.

• Approval of applications may not be contingent on approval, certification, or endorsement through any other organization or governing body.

• Applications will be granted on a modified first-come, first-served basis, to the extent of the gym’s financial ability, with the caveat that reduced price memberships will be granted to those who do not already have existing memberships first.

1. Figure out how you will manage accounting for your sliding scale memberships

   • Set up the membership in your POS

2. Decide on membership perks and benefits

3. Create a membership application

4. Decide who in your organization will be responsible for reviewing and approving applications

5. Fill out the Typeform letting us know that you’re ready to go.

   • Adopting gyms may not begin to advertise the Climb4Community membership or use the Climb4Community logo until they receive written approval from Climb4Community.

6. Advertise!

Sample Application Sample membership benefits

Have the same consistent person respond to applications, when possible, and set them up as an ongoing point of contact for members. This creates a sense of accountability and begins to build trust.

Remember that people who are paying less are often crossing additional hurdles to enter your space. Being the only person who looks like you or the only one who has come from your financial or cultural background is intimidating. Even just knowing that you are paying less than those around you can add to an existing impostor syndrome. These folks are doing your gym a service, expanding your member base, and allowing you to reach community members you wouldn’t have otherwise.

People perform as you expect them to. When we set up avenues of trust and accountability, we often see people self-moderating to an impressive degree. When we treat people like they’ll take care of each other, they often do.

Get creative with how you engage your community in this program! Climb4Community members-only swag, discounts at local businesses, or Climb4Community members-only events are just some of the ways to increase the hype surrounding your new program. Don’t forget to tag Climb4Community in your social media to be reposted on the Climb4Community social media accounts!

Affinity groups must be proposed by a member of the relevant identity group. They must be run by a non-staff member of the relevant identity group unless a person fitting that description is unavailable. In that case, per the request of a group, a staff member from the adopting gym may run the group, with priority given to staff members who are part of the relevant identity group.

Groups will meet monthly, or more frequently, as determined by the adopting gym.

If the group is run by non-staff community members, some form of compensation, in the form of reduced membership fees, gym credit, or similar, must be made available for the group leaders.

As with all Climb4Community programs, affinity groups must be financially accessible, meaning that no one may be turned away due to a lack of funding.

• Affinity group passes must be cheaper than the gym’s normal day rate.

The proceeds from affinity groups must all go into the gym’s community fund. A portion of these proceeds will be earmarked specifically for the relevant group so that they may hire a guide to climb outside, bring in a speaker, buy relevant supplies, etc. The exact portion reserved for the group can be determined by the adopting gym and the group’s participants.

If requested, an effort will be made by the adopting gym to allow for affinity space, meaning that the group may meet after typical gym hours.

1. Determine what staff member will be responsible for scheduling and coordinating with the group(s)

   • This staff person should be as consistent as possible, in order to begin building a trust-based relationship

2. Set a price point, and several available time slots for your group(s)

   • This price is a starting point, access to the group must not be denied due to financial constraints on the part of the participant.

3. Determine if the group will require additional staffing, if, for example, they are meeting after hours.

   • If so, this staff person should also be as consistent as possible.

4. Fill out the Typeform letting us know that you’re ready to go.

   • Adopting gyms may not begin to advertise Climb4Community specific affinity group(s) or use the Climb4Community logo for their group(s) until they receive written approval from Climb4Community.

5. Get in contact with the interested group(s), and schedule a first meet-up!

1. Determine what staff member will be responsible for scheduling and coordinating with the group(s)

   • This staff person should be as consistent as possible, in order to begin building a trust-based relationship

2. Set a price point, and find several available time slots for your potential group(s)

   • This price is a starting point, access to the group must not be denied due to financial constraints on the part of the participant.

3. Determine if the group will require additional staffing, if, for example, they are meeting after hours.

   • If so, this staff person should also be as consistent as possible.

4. Create a signup form, or another avenue by which folks will be able to create their group

5. Fill out the Typeform letting us know that you’re ready to go.

   • Adopting gyms may not begin to advertise Climb4Community specific affinity group(s) or use the Climb4Community logo for their group(s) until they receive written approval from Climb4Community.

6. Advertise!

• Listen to community organizers!

• Be patient, affinity groups often happen organically and it is difficult to rush their growth

• Throughout the month, you can engage your community members in any number of fundraising activities, including raffles, events, sales, or otherwise. At a minimum, you must provide some incentive for donations made to the partner organization.

  • The partner organization will be referred to when making decisions regarding what type of fundraising you will engage in throughout the month.

• You will give your partner organization a pre-written email for them to send out to their mailing lists, as well as provide them with your logo and the Climb4Community logo for advertising purposes. You will receive their logo, and submit it to Climb4Community so that it may be displayed on the Climb4Community website.

  • Climb4Community will provide you with a template email, found here.

• Adopting gyms will make it clear to partners that this is a Climb4Community initiative, and that, as such, the partner’s logo will be shared with Climb4Community.

1. Decide who on your team will be responsible for communicating with partners, and organizing fundraising efforts.

2. Fill out the Typeform letting us know that you’d like to adopt this program.

   • Adopting gyms may not begin to advertise climb for cause groups or partnerships or use the Climb4Community logo for their fundraising efforts until they receive written approval from Climb4Community.

3. Reach out to local organizations for partnership

4. Advertise!

• We’ve had great success with asking the partner organization to come up with a promo code that they send out to their lists, and offering $5/off day passes and an additional $5 donation to the partner for anyone who uses the promo code. Since this code is sent only to the partners’ mailing list, we’ve got wide usage from folks who weren’t already on our radar.

• Reach out to partners early and often, and take the steps they need to take as simply as possible. We’ve found that many nonprofits are understaffed, and sometimes any new initiative seems daunting.

• Listen to your community! When members reach out with a partner idea, it often means the partner will have overlapping demographics with the gym, and you’ll likely have greater success.

• Advertise how much money you raise and donate each month, or even keep a running total on your website.

• Climate/Carbon Neutral

• 1% for the Planet

• B-Corp

• 1Climb

• Outdoor CEO Equity Pledge

• Membership with local chambers of commerce that represent populations that are underrepresented in climbing.

• Green initiatives, including local volunteer cleanups

• Access Fund Membership